10 Hollywood Franchises That (Mostly) Nailed the Ending
Sure, it's billed as "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter," but it's understandable if a title like that makes you suspicious. After all, we've seen so many franchises promise a satisfying finale and not deliver. Here are a few that showed us how it's done.
"Back to the Future Part III" (1990)
Besides finally setting all the franchise's frayed Freudian timelines aright, Marty and Doc's last adventure proves the only satisfying sci-fi western ever created.
'Army of Darkness' (1992)
After Bruce Campbell's Ash spent two movies fighting the "Evil Dead" at a remote cabin in the woods, Sam Raimi's twisty wormhole sent the chainsaw-handed hero back to medieval times, "A Connecticut Yankee"-style. The first indication of what the future "Spider-Man" franchise director would be able to do if given anything like a real budget.
'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007)
C'mon, it's right there in the title -- doesn't "ultimate" mean "last"? We certainly didn't see at the time how they could top the (supposedly) final adventure of Matt Damon's vengeful, amnesiac spy -- and two movies later, we still don't.
'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' (1967)
Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy ends fittingly where it began, since this installment is actually a prequel. As the epic three-way standoff winds down, Clint Eastwood's nameless fortune hunter acquires not just gold but the iconic poncho that marks him as the mysterious mercenary of "A Fistful of Dollars."
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 and 2' (2010-11)
Yeah, there seemed to be a lot of padding here in the movie that launched the unfortunate trend of spreading out franchise finales over two films. Still, the apocalyptic battle for Hogwarts was pretty much how we imagined it when we read the books -- though we certainly did not imagine we'd be so heartbroken over the death of Dobby.
'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
Sure, this finale seemed to end about four times, only to segue into yet another epilogue. Still, this is the only franchise finale to win a Best Picture Oscar. And if you're not stirred by the Battle of Pelennor Fields, or moved to tears by Sam and Frodo, you're an orc.
''Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991)
Okay, there have been seven more "Trek" movies since, but this was the last one with the original cast, and it's a fine swan song after their 25 years together. Nonetheless, the movie is stolen by Christopher Plummer's hammy villain, General Chang, with the bolted-on eyepatch and the penchant for quoting Shakespeare "in the original Klingon."
'Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi' (1983)
The finale of the original "Star Wars" trilogy returned to familiar territory (another Death Star? Really?) and veered too often into infantile cutesiness (those friggin' Ewoks). Yet there were some shocking reveals left in store (Leia is Luke's sister, Darth Vader under the mask looks like Humpty Dumpty). It gave us that iconic metal bikini, and a satisfying climax that seemed to restore justice to the galaxy for good... at least until "The Force Awakens" came out, 22 years later.
'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2' (2015)
More box office, instead of narrative necessary, mandated Katniss' two-parter finale. (And judging by the less-than-expected grosses, fans caught on.) Despite that, the movie's intense climax and character-first storytelling yield a mostly satisfying end -- right up until that way-too-faithful flash-forward ending from the book. Woof.
'Toy Story 3' (2010)
Admit it, you got a good cathartic cry out of what was billed as the final adventures of Woody, Buzz, and pals as the now-teenage Andy put away childish things. In fact, this one was so heart-rendingly final that we're wondering how Pix can possibly justify the upcoming "Toy Story 4."
